Fighting cancer with nanotherapies

The title of Laura Woythe’s thesis is Molecular mapping of nanoparticle targeting: a super-solved journey and the promoters are L. Albertazzi and M. Prins. For his doctoral research, he studied the functionality of molecules attached to nanoparticles for the selective targeting of cancer. Nanoparticles can be used as vehicles to administer vaccines and prevent serious diseases. He thinks, for example, of delivering chemotherapy drugs to cancer cells. The goal is therefore to destroy cancer cells and not affect healthy cells. The use of nanoparticles as vehicles has the potential to reduce the severe side effects of chemotherapy for patients.

Use of nanotherapeutics in cancer

Woythe explains on the Eindhoven University of Technology website: “Unfortunately, there is still no clinically applied selective treatment with nanoparticles, where research is aimed at improving and understanding current nanotherapies. To increase the ability of nanoparticles to target cancer cells, scientists can exploit the interaction of nanoparticles with specific cellular biomarkers or “receptors” on the cell surface. For this purpose, molecules or ‘ligands’ that recognize specific cellular receptors are placed on the surface of the nanoparticles.’

Super resolution microscopy

Woythe conducted this research using highly advanced microscopy techniques. Specifically, this is the so-called super-resolution microscopy, which includes a group of microscopy techniques with a resolution power 10 times higher than conventional optical microscopy. This allows for the visualization of structures up to 5,000 times smaller than a human hair.

Using super-resolution microscopy, Woythe and his colleagues were able to count individual ligands on nanoparticles and receptors on cancer cells. This helped refine the targeting interaction. These are exceptional figures that make an important contribution to the development of a more efficient nanotherapeutic delivery. By selectively targeting cancer cells and diseased cells, healthy tissues can be spared and the side effects of chemotherapy for cancer patients can be limited.

Cancer nanotechnology

In practice, more and more ways are being tried to use nanotechnology to treat cancer in a targeted way. There has recently been another good example at TU Delft that fits well with Laura Woythe’s research. In concrete terms, it is a new method for labeling nanoparticles that are loaded with radioactive salts and therefore suitable for clinical research and the treatment of cancer patients. Especially since the assembly of these nanoparticles turns out to be very simple. The results of TU Delft researchers were published in Advanced Therapeutics in September 2022.